Answers to your insurance questions

A certificate of insurance in British Columbia is your Owner's Certificate of Insurance and Vehicle License. The top 2/3 of the document you get from your broker when you insure, register, and license your vehicle. The signed certificate is required to be carried in your vehicle as your proof that the vehicle is licensed and insured. In other provinces you can receive separate documents for automobile insurance and registration. This can be referred to as your pink card.

This certificate of insurance is also a document provided for proof of insurance for property. This is sometimes called a binder. When you purchase a home you will need to provide documentation to the lawyer's office so they can complete their process of registering the title to the property and releasing the funds to the vendor.

A certificate of insurance can also provide proof of insurance for the operation of a business. This certificate would refer to the company name, the coverage provided including liability and property and could reference any additional insureds or additional named insureds and their interest in the property.

Your broker or agent will assist you in providing the necessary certificate of insurance.